BACKGROUND: Tobacco companies increasingly exploit social media platforms to attract young users and circumvent traditional marketing restrictions. Understanding the current trends in tobacco-related promotional content and the regulatory status on platforms popular among Chinese youth is crucial for developing effective public health interventions.
METHODS: We collected promotional posts related to tobacco products or e-cigarettes published on over 100 Chinese social media platforms between 2021 and 2023. Using 20 high-frequency keywords associated with tobacco and e-cigarettes, we conducted real-time and retrospective data scraping via web crawling, mass knowledge graphs, and graph citation technology. The posting volume from various platforms and the intensity of regulatory measures were analyzed.
RESULTS: In 2023, the total volume of posts related to tobacco products or e-cigarettes on Chinese social media platforms reached 71264. The top three platforms by posting volume were RedNote (44.2%), Weibo (27.9%), and WeChat (25.3%). Compared to 2022 (38016 posts) and 2021 (39210 posts), the growth rate of posting volume in 2023 exceeded 80%, with RedNote being the largest contributor. Between 2021 and 2022, platforms such as Weibo and Zhihu demonstrated higher post removal rates. In contrast, in 2023, RedNote had the highest post removal rate at 56.2%, followed by Weibo at 28.6%. Despite these removals, RedNote and Weibo continued to host more tobacco-related posts than other platforms. Posts deleted on RedNote in 2023 were predominantly categorized as "smokers' discussions." Notably, RedNote recorded no post removals in 2022 and in 2021.
CONCLUSIONS: The tobacco industry has significantly ramped up its marketing efforts across diverse social media platforms, with a growing emphasis on high-activity platforms, especially on RedNote. However, regulatory measures remain insufficient. Strengthened regulatory oversight and targeted interventions—such as social media monitoring, policy enforcement, and enhanced health education—are essential to protect Chinese youth from the harms of tobacco and e-cigarettes.